Dispensers for individual folded webs such as paper napkins are often provided at quick service food locations and restaurants. One disadvantage of many conventional paper napkin dispensers is that they often provide rather poor single feed dispensing of folded napkins. Such inadequate single feed dispensing can be particularly noticeable if the napkins are individual folded napkins (e.g., conventional overfold napkins) instead of interfolded napkins. Another disadvantage is that both conventional overfold napkin dispensers and interfolded napkin dispensers often permit removal of multiple napkins at one time. As a rule, most paper napkins removed in this manner are wasted unnecessarily. Many end up scattered about an eating area, on tables or are merely discarded as litter. When multiple of napkins are removed in this way dispensers quickly run out and must be refilled, which is an inconvenience for both customers and operators of quick service food locations and restaurants.
Common problems with conventional overfold paper napkins have been described in, for example, WO 98/40002. Conventional overfold paper napkins are designed to be stacked in a napkin dispenser such as, for example, a spring loaded napkin dispenser or a gravity feed dispenser. Such napkin dispensers have an opening revealing an open end of an outermost napkin facing the opening. In this position, a user can grab an exposed section of a napkin to pull the napkin out of the dispenser.
However, when stacked improperly with the wrong end of the napkin facing the opening, dispensing is awkward, and often results in wastage. Not uncommonly, maintenance personnel will stack overfold paper napkins improperly, or stack too many napkins thereby overfilling the dispenser.
The invention is aimed at achieving an improved dispenser avoiding problems relating to the feeding out and presenting of individual folded webs. The invention is further aimed at avoiding problems relating to wasteful dispensing in dispensers for individual folded or interfolded webs.